This checklist is intended to be used as a rating instrument to assist in the design and description of classroom learning environments that provide for student diversity, including the mainstreaming of students with disabilities. Specific purposes of the checklist are to provide a framework for describing the organizational characteristics of effective classes and schools, for implementing effective instruction principles, for planning staff development activities, and for identifying the support needed by teachers to accommodate students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Each of the 13 scales included in the checklist contains five descriptions of school situations sequentially ordered according to increasing desirability. The desirability scaling is based on research, public policies, and the "wisdom of practice." For each scale, suggestions are given on how to determine the ratings, along with a list of the key elements or concepts defining the scale. These key elements can be considered critical dimensions of the particular scale and can also be used as a checklist to indicate their presence or absence. Included scales cover: (1) space, facilities, and furnishings; (2) resources and supports; (3) social environment; (4) student self-direction; (5) classroom management and climate; (6) teaming arrangements; (7) instruction; (8) curriculum flexibility; (9) accommodation to individual differences in previous learning; (10) evaluation; (11) appreciating cultural and individual differences; (12) child study processes; and (13) parent-teacher collaboration. A sample profile chart provides a summary display of the evaluation of a given program. (DB)